Jack Thompson to write video game legislation?
Well, for a while, it seemed like the game's industries favorite paranoid, lawyer Jack Thompson, had been asked to draft legislation for banning sales of videogames containing certain content for the state of Florida.

Now, I'm something of a prude. I am not really not thrilled by gratuitous T&A, gore, or profanity in my games. I think it's pretty juvenile, personally. I love a game with good, "mature" subject matter, but my definition of "mature" differs a little bit from the rest of the world. I enjoy a game (or book, movie, TV show, etc) that might deal with things like love, sex, revenge, angst, death, tragedy, and yes --- even violence. But I don't need it slapped onto the screen in full high-definition pixel-shaded glory for shock / exploitation value. If games had the same rating system as the movies, I'd prefer a "PG" or "PG-13" rating on my games, thankyouverymuch. However, the movie rating system and the ESRB game rating system are pretty warped and messed up anyhow - but that's a tangent I won't go on right now.

That all being said, I'm generally opposed to the legislation getting introduced in some states banning the sale of certain videogames. Especially anything Jack Thompson might draft. I am concerned about how that might restrict sales of unrated games (since getting a game through the ESRB rating process is prohibitively expensive for most indies), and I am concerned about how that might restrict games that might have mature themes (enough to get an "M" rating) but aren't in the same category as, say, GTA or a Mortal Kombat game. Think "Schindler's List" as compared to, say, "Booty Call." Already we have games that arbitrarily close off potential actions not because of technical limitations, but because of fear that allowing the player to do certain things would bump the rating. I worry how many stores, fearing fines, will just drop sales of "M" rated games entirely (undoubtably what Thompson & other legislation-drafters are hoping for), and games will once again be dismissed as "kids stuff" instead of a potentially serious medium.

And I'm worried that the government is taking over responsibility that should belong to parents. Yes, it's been demonstrated that many parents have been either truly slacking in their responsibilities, or they truly see nothing wrong with their 10-year old watching rated R movies and playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Does this mean your oh-so-competent government with its one-size-fits-all mentality should step in and take over?

Fortunately, it looks like the whole Jack Thompson thing might have been yet another delusion of his mind (like imagined death threats from gif images). This article claims that Jeb Bush's administration is denying having contacted Thompson at all. Hopefully if it did happen, it's becoming politically so embarassing that whatever Thompson pens won't go very far.

But he's not the only nut in the bowl.
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 7:37 AM (Permalink)